Robert De Niro to Star Opposite Himself in Gangster Drama ‘Wise Guys’ at Warner Bros.

[The Greek]

https://variety.com/2022/film/news/robe ... 235342782/


Robert De Niro will be sharing the screen with Hollywood legend Robert De Niro in the upcoming gangster drama “Wise Guys.”

The movie, set at Warner Bros. and intended to play in theaters, will be directed by Barry Levinson, the veteran filmmaker who is best known for “Rain Man” and “Wag the Dog.” It reunites De Niro and Levinson, who previously teamed on “Wag the Dog,” “Sleeper,” the HBO series “The Wizard of Lies” and “What Just Happened.”

“Wise Guys” follows Italian American crime bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello, who ran their respective families during the 20th century. In 1957, Genovese tried (and failed) to assassinate Costello, who was ultimately injured and attempted to retire from the mafia. De Niro is expected to portray the two main characters.

Nicholas Pileggi, the co-writer of Martin Scorsese’s crime epic “Goodfellas,” which starred De Niro, is penning the screenplay for “Wise Guys.” (“Goodfellas” is based on Pileggi’s 1985 book “Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family,” though it’s unrelated to Levinson’s film.)

For De Niro, “Wise Guys” is a return to the genre that turned him into a star. Along with “Goodfellas,” the actor made a name for himself in crime dramas like “The Godfather Part II,” “Mean Streets” and “Casino.” His more recent credits include “Joker” and Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” which used extensive digital technology to de-age De Niro and his co-stars Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. He’s re-teaming with Scorsese on Apple’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” a Western crime drama about the 1920 Oklahoma murders in the Osage Nation.

Irwin Winkler, a producer on “Rocky” and “Goodfellas,” will serve as a producer on “Wise Guys.”

The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news although Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411 had details on the project last month.

[Dwalin2014]

Sounds interesting, but why the same actor for 2 different characters in the same movie?

[JeremyTheJew]

Totally not understanding why they don’t just get different actor then himself twice

[BlackDow]

Respective families?

[Jbravo]

Dineros complete clown...
No thanks

[SonnyBlackstein]

Ditto.

Sounds fucking terrible.

[Rocco]

aka when you get divorced and your ex takes you to the cleaners and have to do shitty work for $$$

[Raven]

At 80 years he is too old to play either. Find a younger actor.

[johnny_scootch]

De Niro is as washed up as and actor can get.

[Amershire_Ed]

aka when you get divorced and your ex takes you to the cleaners and have to do shitty work for $$$

As far as celebrity divorces go, DeNiro actually made out better than most. If you look at his income and net worth and at what he’s paying, it’s not that bad.

Gun to my head I’m guessing this movie will suck big time but I won’t be shocked if it’s good. DeNiro can still act but as was the case with the Irishman, having him play someone substantially younger can be dicey at times. And it’s not so much in the face but in the way he moves. I really enjoyed the Irishman but I thought there were 2 scenes that made DeNiro look too old. The first was when he beat up the grocery store owner that pushed his daughter. He legit looked like an 80 year old man with bad arthritis in that scene. And another where he was tossing a gun into the river, if you watched him walk out on the rocks, he moved like a retired running back that had 14 knee surgeries.

[dave]

They should've done this, with Pacino as Costello, instead of The Irishman.

[Rocco]

aka when you get divorced and your ex takes you to the cleaners and have to do shitty work for $$$

As far as celebrity divorces go, DeNiro actually made out better than most. If you look at his income and net worth and at what he’s paying, it’s not that bad.

Gun to my head I’m guessing this movie will suck big time but I won’t be shocked if it’s good. DeNiro can still act but as was the case with the Irishman, having him play someone substantially younger can be dicey at times. And it’s not so much in the face but in the way he moves. I really enjoyed the Irishman but I thought there were 2 scenes that made DeNiro look too old. The first was when he beat up the grocery store owner that pushed his daughter. He legit looked like an 80 year old man with bad arthritis in that scene. And another where he was tossing a gun into the river, if you watched him walk out on the rocks, he moved like a retired running back that had 14 knee surgeries.

deniro's investments took a beating during covid. He invested heavy in many restaurants in CA and NY. Keep in mind what his expenses are as well. Its been well documented he took roles in shitty films for $$.

[Ivan]

Hate to beat up on the old but there's gotta be a zillion Italian-American kids out there who are talented actors busy waiting tables or something while doing shitty plays part time as they're looking to move up in their careers, and they could do this much better than a bunch of 80 year olds. If you absolutely have to use people like DeNiro, have them play old-timer consiglieres or something. The Irishman would have made for a fine swan song if these guys just knew it's time to hang it the fuck up (Narrator: They don't.).

[Antiliar]

Robert Davi will always be the best Vito Genovese in my mind. The late actor Anthony Caruso (best known for playing mob boss Bela Oxmyx in the Star Trek episode "A Piece of the Action") would have been the best Frank Costello, IMO. He not only resembled Costello, but had a similar gravelly voice. As for a living actor to play Costello, maybe Chazz Palminteri, Joe Mantegna, Michael Rispoli or even Larry Mazza.

[don-shunter]

How's about Michael imperioli as Frank costello?